Vortex sand trap and deflector riffle



May 10, 1932. R, L, AR HA 1,858,231

VORTEX SAND TRAP AND DEFLECTOR RIFFLE Filed Sept. 14; 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTUR ATTORNEY R. L. PARSHALL Filed Sept. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTURNEY May 10, 19 32.

Vonmx SAND TRAP ANDDEFLECTOR RIFFLE a M M Q m) V M. 5 W .r fl ...w. q Q a Patented May 10, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RALPE L. PARSHALL, 013 FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, DEDICATED BY ASSIGNNENT TO THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VORTEX SAND TRAP AND DEFLECT'OR RIFFLE Application filed September 14, 1931. Serial No. 562,739. 1

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1883, AS AMENDED APRIL 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

I hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of the public totake effect upon the granting of a patent to me.

This invention relates to a trap and rifle to free the flow in a canal or other channel wholly or partly of sand, dbris and similar material, and has for its object the prevention or reduction in amount of injury resulting from use of water containing considerable quantities of gritty solid matter.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 1s a plan view of the trap and rifle; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the device, looking upstream; Figure 3 is a vertical section along line 3-3 in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a vertical section along line 44 in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a vertical section along line 55 in F igure 1; and Figure 6 is a side elevation of one of the rifle plates.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The walls (1) and (2) and the fioor (3) form a rigid channel for the stream from which the sand or dbris is removed, while the walls (2) and (4) and the floor (5) here represent a subsidiary channel, conduit, or chamber into which the sand or other solid material is discharged by the action of the trap and the rifle. The floor (3) is level in the direction of the flow of the stream, except that the downstream portion is somewhat depressed (see Figures 3 and 5), but may have a slight slope transversely toward the subsidiary or sand outlet channel. The floor (5) has such longitudinal and transverse slopes as may be eiiective in carrying away the dbris and water discharged into the subsidiary channel.

The vortex sand trap consists of a tube (6) laid diagonally across the bottom of the channel essentially as illustrated in Figure 1, the

angle (7) ordinarily being between 40 and degrees.

This tube is tapered, being somevortex tube (6).

what smaller at its upper end than at the end discharging into the, sand outlet channel. The tube may have a metallining as shown in Figure 5, for convenience in construction or for protection against abrasion of the inner surface of the tube. The downstream upper one-quarter of this tube is open (see Figures 3 and 5), with the top of this opening Torming a straight edge called the lip (8) coincident with the floor of the upper part of the channel. and the lower edge (9) of the open ing even with the floor downstream from the tube (6). The larger end of the tube extends through the wall (2) into the sand outlet channel, but the side opening which forms the lip (8) of the trap does not extencl through the wall. On the end ofthe tube (6), in the sand outlet channel, is a double elbow (10) arranged to prevent air from being admitted to the tube. A regulating gate (11) is provided to control the discharge from the tube (6). Triangular baffles (12) and (13) of proper height, shape, and inclination to increase the eflciency of the device are attached to the floor (3) or the-lining of tube (6), by suitable means not shown, downstream from and in suflcient proximity to the lip (8). I

The deflector rifle is a system of triangular plates (14) fastened to the floor (3) by suitable means not shown, upstream from the These plates are of such size, shape and placement as to move the bed load of dbris in the stream laterally across the channel to openings (15) through the wall (2) into the sand outlet channel. The rifle has been found most eifective when the plates (14) are placed approximately parallel to the vortex tube (6), are graduated in height, and have the downstream angle (16) somewhat greater than 90 degrees. The floor (3) ordinarily is given a lateral slope, as previously stated herein, to increase tiveness of the rifle in moving the debris to the side openings (15). These 0 enings are provided with regulating gates 17) to control the rate of discharge through them.

The action of the vortex tube in removing sand and sediment is due to the velocity of the flow in the channel (12). The velocity over the lip (8) creates a negative pressure just under the lip. This negative pressure, aided by the downward component of the current across the opening (8-9) of the 6 tube, causes the whole mass of water in the tube to rotate as indicated by the arrow (18) p in Figure 5. The velocity of the flow in the channel also imparts to the water in the vortex tube (6) a movement longitudinally of 10 that tube toward the subsidiary channel. The resulting spiral 'motion in the tube catches and discharges through the double elbow (l0) practically all the sediment and dbris carried along in the lower portion of the stream channel (12).

, Having fully disclosed my discovery, I claim as my invention:

1. A vortex trap and deflector riiile for removing sand and debris from streams comprising a rigid channel having side walls and a floor, a subsidiary channel adjacent to said rigid channel, a tapered tube having an opening' on its downstream upper one-quarter portion', laid diagonally across the bottom of said 555 rigid channel and extending into said subsidiary channel, baffle plates attached to the floor of said rigid channel downstream from the tube and close thereto, means to exclude air from said tube, means to control the discharge from the tube, a series of plates attached to the floor of said rigid channel, upstream from the tube, so positioned and formed as to move the bed load of sand and dbris in a stream laterally across the channel, openings having regulating gates in the Wall between said rigid channel and subsidiary channel so placed as to catch the sand and debris-as they arrive at said wall and conduct them to said subsidiary channel.

10 2, A vortex trap r'or removing sand and debris from streams comprising a rigid channel having side walls and floor, a subsidiary channel adjacent to said rigid channel, a tapered conical tube having a longitudinal opening on its downstream upper one-quarter portion, laid diagonally across the bottom of said: rigid channel and extending into said subsidiary channel, bafile plates attached to the floor of said rigid channel, downstream so from said tube and close thereto, means to exclude air from said tube and means to control the discharge from the tube.

3. A deflector riffle comprising a rigid channel having side walls and a floor, a series of rows of flat triangular plates attached at their lower edges to the bed of said rigid channel, said plates being spaced diagonally across the channel along the rows and so positioned as to cause sand and debris carried in so the lower portion of a stream to move laterally across said channel substantially as described. V

RALPH L. PARSHALL. 

